When I was young, I often heard the saying, "If you just play games every day, you'll ruin your life." In fact, there are so many people addicted to games these days that it is concerning.

However, even games that seem silly... if made well, can earn billions easily.

The American gaming industry actually started quite a long time ago. In the 1970s, games like 'Pac-Man' and 'Galaga' created a sensation. Then, in the 80s and 90s, with consoles like Nintendo and Sega becoming common in households, gaming became a part of 'everyday life.'

And as we entered the 2000s, gaming began to evolve from mere entertainment to a cultural content. Major games like Warcraft, GTA, and Call of Duty earned more in their first week than the box office of the movie 'Avengers.'

Korea can be said to be the home of global esports since the StarCraft era. Professional gamers attracted fandom like celebrities, and leagues were broadcast live on television. Now, while it has shifted to League of Legends (LoL), the LCK is recognized globally as a high-level league, with prize money in the hundreds of millions of won.

On the other hand, the market size in the US is large. In addition to LoL, various genres of leagues like Call of Duty, Overwatch, Valorant, and Fortnite are operated, and esports teams are run like NBA franchises. In the US, individual player salaries are high, and advertising and sponsorship revenues are significant. Major stadiums, and even networks like ESPN, often cover esports events.

In conclusion, while Korea has strengths in skill, teamwork, and systems, the US excels in entertainment, capital, and scale. Both are growing well in their own unique ways.

So how do game companies make money?

These days, there are many ways to earn money from a single game. Currently, the basic model is free with paid items: most mobile games follow this model. The game is free, but revenue comes from equipment upgrades, skins, character draws, etc. You know those ads that say, "Watch a 30-second ad to get 500 gems"? That's ad revenue. Subscriptions like Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus, where you pay to enjoy multiple games monthly, are also popular.

There are still games that you buy once and finish. This model is still strong in the console market. And nowadays, skin sales are all the rage. Many games are making hundreds of millions by selling items that only change appearances, like Fortnite or LoL.

Globally, the gaming market is a $200 billion industry. Among that, mobile games account for more than half, which is an astonishing fact. The smartphone we carry in our hands has now become the main character of gaming devices.

As gaming becomes profitable, competition among devices has naturally heated up. Smartphones are equipped with better chips every year, PCs have graphics cards that cost over a million won, consoles are divided between Xbox and PS5, and now we even have cloud gaming, where high-spec games can run with just an internet connection. Just like Netflix, gaming is now also streaming.

Gaming is no longer just something "kids do" nor is it a form of "escapism." Right now, if you create a good game, you can employ hundreds of people, export globally, and earn trillions.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the 'Famicom' we played as kids has now become the main player in the global economy. And this is just the beginning.

Now, if your child says, "I want to join a game company," instead of discouraging them, you should seriously ask, "Do you know how to work with Unity and Unreal?" It's a time to ask that seriously.